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Map Skills
WARNING: the material in this test is not complete. You will need to do exercises on your own for practise using grids, etc. Look on Wikipedia for good exercises.
30
Geography
9th Grade
11/14/2006

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Cards

Term
What are the three types of scales?
Definition
Line scale; statement scale; ratio scale
Term
What is a line scale?
Definition
A line marked with a distance (e.g. _________ = 1 kilometer
Term
What is a statement scale?
Definition
example: 1 square = 1 kilometer
Term
What is a ration scale?
Definition
example: 1:50,000
Term
What is longitude?
Definition
Longitude lines are the vertical lines which converge at the poles and extend east and west from the Prime Meridian
Term
Where is the Prime Meridian?
Definition
Greenwich
Term
Why is the Prime Meridian in Greenwich?
Definition
Because the British were major snots and at the time had lots of big nasty warships, so they could say the Prime Meridian was on Planet Zort and no one would object.
Term
What is latitude?
Definition
The horizontal lines running around the earth, each one 111k from the next.
Term
What is a topographical map?
Definition
A map showing both natural and human features.
Term
What are the three types of map?
Definition
General-purpose; thematic; topographic
Term
What is a thematic map?
Definition
Shows one type of feature (e.g. highway map, religious map)
Term
What is a general-purpose map?
Definition
Shows a great variety of features.
Term
What is the NTS?
Definition
The National Topographic System, the map system for Canada
Term
What is the difference between a large scale map and a small scale map?
Definition
A large scale map shows a large amount of detail in a small area, and a small scale map shows a small amount of detail in a large area.
Term
What is the UTM coordinate system?
Definition
The Universal Transverse Mercator, a way to calculate coordinates globally.
Term
What is the Great Circle Route?
Definition
A line on a sphere that divides the sphere into two equal hemispheres. [image]
Term
What is Greenwich Mean Time?
Definition
The time zone directly on the Prime Meridian
Term
What is the Internation Date Line?
Definition
The IDL is a horizontal line that runs around the earth, usualy at 180 degrees latitude, changing the date as you travel east or west along it.
Term
What is a point feature?
Definition
A detail on a map so small that you draw it as a dot.
Term
What is a line feature?
Definition
A detail on a map that you draw as a line (a river, a path, etc.)
Term
What is an area (or polygon) feature?
Definition
A detail on a map large enough to be drawn as per its real shape (like a country)
Term
What is mental mapping?
Definition
An internal knowlege of an area
Term
What is direct distance?
Definition
The distance from one point to another disregarding obstacles (an underground phone line would follow direct distance)
Term
What is actual distance?
Definition
The distance from one point to another INCLUDING obstacles (for instance, a path going up a mountain would add the distance you go up to the direct distance)
Term
What is the principle of least effort?
Definition
A route that may not be the shortest way, but is the easiest (i.e. going around a lake instead of swimming it)
Term
What is the directional symbol?
Definition
The symbol on a map that shows which direction is which (like an arrow pointing north)
Term
What is a contour line?
Definition
A line on a map showing elevation (like mountains)
Term
How do you show how steep or gentle a slope is?
Definition
The steeper the slope, the closer together the contour lines are
Term
What is a summit?
Definition
The highest point of a mountain
Term
What is a profile?
Definition
As if a mountain has been cut in half, and you are looking at one-half from inside (remember the clay model)
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